Preventing bullying

Published: Sunday, October 20, 2013 at 08:00 AM.

The story of Rebecca Ann Sedwick, the 12-year-old Lakeland girl who committed suicide last month allegedly because she was bullied on the Internet by other girls, is both heartbreaking and infuriating.

It also is a cautionary tale about the limits of government power.

Rebecca jumped from a cement factory tower on Sept. 9. Her family says she was “terrorized” in school and online for months by as many as 15 other girls. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office last week arrested a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old and charged them with aggravated stalking in Rebecca’s death.

The alleged bullying started last December when Rebecca and the two suspects were middle school students. The harassment allegedly began over a boy that Rebecca had previously been dating. The 14-year-old allegedly sent Rebecca menacing messages on Facebook calling her ugly, telling her to “drink bleach and die,” and encouraging her to kill herself, police said.

Polk County school officials were made aware of the conflict between the girls and intervened, separating Rebecca from the other girls. That didn’t work, though, and Rebecca eventually was home-schooled for awhile before transferring to another school.

However, the bullying allegedly continued online and became too much for Rebecca.

Children have been cruel to each other forever. Modern technology, though, makes it easier for those taunts and torments to reach their victim anywhere 24/7, and for much of the world to see — permanently. That increases the angst and embarrassment (often at an age when kids already are consumed by emotional turmoil) and makes the victim feel trapped — not even a bedroom at home can provide refuge.

The story of Rebecca Ann Sedwick, the 12-year-old Lakeland girl who committed suicide last month allegedly because she was bullied on the Internet by other girls, is both heartbreaking and infuriating.

It also is a cautionary tale about the limits of government power.

Rebecca jumped from a cement factory tower on Sept. 9. Her family says she was “terrorized” in school and online for months by as many as 15 other girls. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office last week arrested a 14-year-old and a 12-year-old and charged them with aggravated stalking in Rebecca’s death.

The alleged bullying started last December when Rebecca and the two suspects were middle school students. The harassment allegedly began over a boy that Rebecca had previously been dating. The 14-year-old allegedly sent Rebecca menacing messages on Facebook calling her ugly, telling her to “drink bleach and die,” and encouraging her to kill herself, police said.

Polk County school officials were made aware of the conflict between the girls and intervened, separating Rebecca from the other girls. That didn’t work, though, and Rebecca eventually was home-schooled for awhile before transferring to another school.

However, the bullying allegedly continued online and became too much for Rebecca.

Children have been cruel to each other forever. Modern technology, though, makes it easier for those taunts and torments to reach their victim anywhere 24/7, and for much of the world to see — permanently. That increases the angst and embarrassment (often at an age when kids already are consumed by emotional turmoil) and makes the victim feel trapped — not even a bedroom at home can provide refuge.

Such bullying cannot be tolerated nor breezily dismissed under the “sticks and stones” adage. The culprits who engage in such reprehensible behavior are monstrous and must be held accountable. Adults must intervene and put a stop to it.

Ironically, Florida earlier this year passed legislation that expanded the state’s current law prohibiting bullying at schools to include the Internet outside the campus. Polk County school officials said they were unaware of Rebecca’s cyberbullying.

That’s not good enough for some in Washington. Sen. Bill Nelson, R-Fla., is co-sponsoring the Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2013 (which was filed months before the Sedwick case) that would mandate that local school districts establish policies that prohibit bullying and harassment. Forty-nine states already require schools to address bullying in some way. But as usual, it’s not working unless the federal government gets involved somehow.

Student conduct policies are best crafted at the local and state levels, and as awareness of bullying grows, more and more are responding with statutory changes. They don’t need Washington’s help.

Still, it shouldn’t be schools’ responsibility to monitor students’ online traffic, especially when it is taking place off school grounds. The volume of emails, texts and social media posts is simply too high. But even if practical concerns could be satisfied, teachers and administrators cannot and should not do parents’ jobs for them.

If you give your son or daughter Internet access, be it a home computer or a smartphone, you are responsible for how the child uses it. Parents have to know what their children are doing online.

Children must be taught to tell an adult of the problems they are experiencing. Parents of the bullies must be notified. If that doesn’t stop the harassment, police may have to step in, and Internet providers and websites may have to be contacted to block users and remove offending content (although that should be done with care to avoid potential First Amendment issues).

Those are extreme cases, however, and even cyberbullying experts warn against going too far in criminalizing the behavior.

The best solution remains becoming more involved with our children and not relying on others to do that job.